The Lupin Heir Goes Missing
by cofcgirl
Summary: Sirius panicked when he saw the headlines of the Daily Prophet that morning. His beloved Remus had mysteriously disappeared from his family home the night before. Something was terribly wrong. What could have happened?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I hope everyone likes this fic. I'm not real sure how long it'll be, or how it's going to end, but I've been inspired by the numerous Sirius-runs-away-from-home fics to write one where Remus runs away from home. Anyway, this is definitely Sirius/Remus slash, so if that just doesn't float your boat, then I'd suggest you try a nice het fic. Please review, and NO FLAMES!

Disclaimer: I once dreamed that I owned Harry Potter, but I'm fairly certain that doesn't count.

Chapter One

"Remus Lupin, get down here right now!"

Remus sighed as he heard his mother calling for him from the front hall. He'd just returned home from his sixth year at Hogwarts a few days ago, and already he was dying to escape to one of his friends' houses. Remus' parents were two of the most prominent members of the Ministry of Magic. His father, Patrick, was the Head of the Department of Mysteries, and his mother, Livianna, was the Deputy Head of Magical Law Enforcement. They were also extremely overprotective when it came to their oldest son; they weren't so much afraid for his safety as they were for the safety of everyone he came in contact with. The Lupins were among the richest and most prominent pure-blood families in Britain, and as such, purity of blood was very important to them; having a werewolf for a son was a constant source of shame for them.

Remus couldn't really fault his parents for being terrified of him, but he just wished they were better at hiding it. Ever since he'd been bitten at the age of four, his own parents had been afraid to even be in the same room with him, a fear that had only gotten worse with time. Even worse, Remus' many aunts, uncles, and cousins were twice as bad. The entire family knew that Remus, the heir to the Lupin fortune, was a werewolf. His father's brother was constantly trying to talk Patrick into having Remus removed from the family will – in his opinion, Remus' Ravenclaw cousin, Tiberius, was much more suitable for receiving such fortune. After all, Remus' inheritance depended largely on his ability to produce an heir and carry on the family name, and what pure-blood witch would want to marry a werewolf?

_If they only knew,_ Remus thought to himself as he mused on his parents while making his way down to the entrance hall. The young werewolf had spent the last year and a half in a relationship he knew his parents would never approve of – he was dating another boy, and if his mum and dad ever knew, they'd be sure to kick him out. Remus had known for nearly three years that he was gay, and had been hiding that fact from his parents ever since. He might have been encouraged by the knowledge that Tiberius was openly bisexual if he wasn't aware of the fact that being bi meant that Tiberius was at least attracted to women; he was perfectly capable of having kids. No, Remus' parents wouldn't even care that Sirius was just as pure-blooded as they were, nor would it matter that his family was also rich. Sirius had two very big strikes against him: one, he was a boy, and two, he hated his family. Remus didn't really care what his family thought, but he was afraid of what would happen if they found out about Sirius. His father had quite the temper, and would undoubtedly do much worse than have him removed from the family tree.

Remus' constant fear that his family might find out the truth about him, coupled with the obvious dangers of having to go through three full moons alone made every summer incredibly stressful. Unfortunately for Remus, this summer was likely to be the worst yet – his Uncle Charlie (his father's youngest brother) and Aunt Juliet were coming to visit, along with Uncle Drake and his son Tiberius. Charlie and Juliet's daughter, Carla was getting married in late July, meaning that it was time for the entire Lupin clan to converge on their ancestral home in preparation for the wedding. Charlie, Juliet, Drake, and Tiberius were arriving today; the rest would follow in the days leading up to the main event. The eminent arrival of Remus' entire family meant that he would be forced to share a room with Tiberius, which would make it even more difficult to hide the evidence of his relationship with Sirius (he had several photos of Sirius and himself in what could only be called compromising and somewhat pornographic positions, as well as a large number of letters from his boyfriend hidden in his trunk).

To say that Remus and his cousin hated each other would be a vast understatement. Tiberius was jealous of Remus; he was a werewolf, and yet it was only thanks to an accident of birth that he would receive the family fortune, along with everything that went with it. Remus, on the other hand, was angry that his close-minded cousin was constantly involving himself in Remus' business, and knew that Tiberius would stop at nothing to have him disinherited. Because of this, Remus had been forced to do what he could to make sure that his cousin didn't get to snoop through his things. Much as Remus hated blood magic and all it represented, he'd used it without hesitation to charm his school trunk and all of his other personal items to attack anyone who touched them if they didn't have both Lupin and werewolf blood.

When Remus finally reached the entrance hall, he held back a grimace. His mother was standing in the middle of the enormous room resplendent in expensive-looking lavender robes, her silver-streaked auburn hair piled on top of her head in an elegant bun. Outwardly, she appeared to be quite calm. However, Remus knew from the blank expression on his mother's face that she was nearly apoplectic with anger at his tardiness. "Just where have you been?" She asked in a sharp tone that betrayed her annoyance.

"In my room," Remus answered as politely as he could.

His mother narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. "Well, at least you're dressed properly," she said, eying his new dress robes appraisingly. "Your uncle and cousin will be here soon, and I want you looking your best. Is everything ready?"

"Yes, mother. The guest rooms have been cleared out for everyone, and the house-elves have set up another bed in my bedroom," Remus responded, keeping his own expression as blank as he could. He didn't want to betray how he truly felt about having his so-called family over.

His mother nodded in what might have been approval, before heading towards the kitchen to make sure that tonight's dinner was being cooked to her specifications. As she left the hall, the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of his much hated relatives. Not even waiting for his mother to do so, Remus forced a smile to his face as he moved to answer the door, ignoring the feeling of dread that sprang up. When he opened the door to see his simpering Uncle Drake and horrid cousin Tiberius, Remus was tempted to yell, "We don't want any!" and slam the door in their haughty faces. Fortunately, he was able to resist the urge, and managed to politely welcome them to Greensfeld (the Lupins' mansion).

"Come in, Uncle Drake, Tiberius. How are you?" Remus nearly made himself sick at how terribly fake he sounded. Not that it really mattered – there was no true affection between him and any member of his family.

"Quite well, thank you, Remus," said Uncle Drake, as he and Tiberius ambled into the entrance hall, both wearing smiles that were just as forced as his own.

"Mother is in the kitchens, I believe, and Father is still at work, so I'll show you to your rooms, Uncle Drake. Tiberius, you'll be sharing with me. I hope that doesn't bother you." Remus said as two of the house-elves appeared to take their luggage. He hoped in vain that his cousin would refuse to share a room with him; it would make his life for the next few weeks much easier.

"Oh, it's quite alright with me," Tiberius said with a smile that made Remus glad of the precautions he'd taken to protect his things. His cousin was sure to attempt to go through them.

As June led to July, and the rest of the family began to arrive, Remus began to breathe easy. He'd made it through three weeks and one full moon of sharing a room with his cousin, and had only two more weeks to go before the wedding. Remus knew that Tiberius had spent hours trying searching his room whenever Remus wasn't there, trying to find anything that might get him out of the family. He also knew from the subdued expression the other boy always wore to dinner that he'd failed each time. What Remus didn't know was that it hadn't taken Tiberius long to figure out what sort of magic Remus had used to protect his privacy. Nor did he have any idea that Tiberius had finally found a way around the charms Remus had used.

Remus sighed in relief as he entered the cool house late one Saturday afternoon. He'd spent most of the day outside, doing his best to avoid his cousins and other relatives. Normally, he would have locked himself away in his room, but because Tiberius also had to use it, that was impossible. The heat of the outdoors had been made bearable only because he was able to stay away from prying eyes and write a letter to Sirius. However, Remus' unusual good mood was dashed when he entered his room to find his trunk open, and his cousin gleefully reading what could only be a letter from Sirius. (It covered two sides of parchment, and even from the other side of the room, Remus could make out his boyfriend's untidy writing.) This wasn't good.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Remus asked, his eyes flashing with anger.

Tiberius' ecstatic smile grew as he looked at his cousin. "Just doing a bit of poking around. So, our little Remmy's gay? Isn't that just wonderful? I bet Uncle Patrick will be absolutely _thrilled_ when I tell him."

"Give that back," Remus growled.

"Oh, going all wolfy on me, are you?" Tiberius said, wiggling his eyebrows in amusement. "You know, I'm surprised I never noticed this before. After all, you've never dated any girls, as far as I know. And I saw that Evans bint practically give you a lap dance last year at the Quidditch Final. You're probably the only guy in school who wouldn't get a hard-on from having a piece of _that_ thrown at you."

"Why you-" Remus leapt at his cousin, his anger getting the better of him. He could deal with Tiberius insulting him, but Remus wouldn't stand for anyone talking about one of his friends that way. But before he could do any damage to his cousin, Remus heard his mother bellowing up the stairs that it was time to prepare for dinner. He forced himself to release the other boy. Hurting Tiberius would only make a bad situation worse.

"Get out," he ground out, as he made his way to his wardrobe.

"You'd better look your best tonight, Remus," Tiberius taunted as he tucked the letter into his robes. "After all, this will most certainly be the _last _time you'll eat in this house."

An hour later, Remus was washed and dressed for dinner. He sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. Remus didn't doubt that his cousin would make good his word and tell his father about the letter tonight. The fact that the entire family would be there, not to mention several of his parents' closest friends would only make things worse. He knew he wouldn't find any sympathy with anyone.

Just as Remus had known he would, Tiberius waited until the second course was served and conversation came to a halt before mentioning the letter. He flashed an annoyingly superior smile at the young werewolf before saying, "Uncle Patrick, has Remus told you he's finally started dating?"

At that, Patrick looked at his son in surprise. "No, he hasn't. Who is she, Remus? Tell me you at least had the sense to pick someone of pureblood. I won't have my son dating some half-blood or muggle-born girl."

Before Remus could answer, Tiberius said, "Well, Remus' lover is at least a pureblood, and a rich one at that. But I wonder why he never said anything. I only found out when I noticed a 'love' letter from that certain someone in his room."

"Well, who is it then?" Livianna asked in curiosity. Everyone had completely abandoned their meals, wanting to hear who their heir had chosen to date.

"Black," Tiberius said happily.

"Black?" Patrick asked in astonishment. "Do you mean Bellatrix? But I thought you didn't like her. Not that I know why, she's supposed to be quite beautiful."

"It's not Bellatrix," Remus said quickly, before Tiberius could say anything. "It doesn't really matter who it is, does it? I mean, it's not as if we're getting married, so-"

But Remus' hopes of changing the subject were dashed when his mother said, "Of course it matters, dear. We just want to make sure you're associating with the right people. Personally, I'm glad you've chosen one of the Black girls. If it's not Bellatrix, is it Narcissa? I thought she was engaged to that Malfoy boy, but I suppose I could have heard wrong."

"You didn't," Tiberius interjected enthusiastically. "Dear Remus isn't dating her."

"Tell me you're not dating that traitor, Andromeda," Patrick said in a somewhat dangerous voice.

"I'm not. She's with a muggle-born named Ted Tonks," Remus said, his very being giving away just how nervous he was.

"Then who is it? I wasn't aware of any other Black girls," his father said impatiently.

It was, of course, Tiberius who finally dropped the bombshell. "Oh, he's not dating one of the Black _girls, _Uncle. He's with Sirius Black, the other blood traitor. It seems that my dear cousin is gay."

At that, the entire table fell into a shocked silence. Remus closed his eyes, wanting to prepare himself for the upcoming onslaught of anger. He wasn't disappointed.

Patrick Lupin, his face red with rage, turned to his son and said, "Tell me that's not true. Tell me you're not a fucking _queer_."

Steeling his nerves, Remus took a deep breath before looking his father directly in the eye and saying, "I wish I could, but that would be denying who I am. I am, as you so kindly put it, a 'fucking queer'."

"How dare you!" His mother shrieked. "After everything we've done for you-"

"Everything you've done for me!" Remus exclaimed. He stood up from the table yelling, "Ever since I was bitten, you've done nothing but patronize me, treat me like a complete stranger! I'm your son! When was the last time you hugged me, or Merlin forbid, said you loved me?"

"You can't love a monster," Patrick shouted back. "And don't you dare take that tone with you're mother! We've given you everything, even let you go to school! I swear, we should have had you put down when we found out what you'd become!"

His father took a deep, calming breath before saying, "I'm going to give you one chance to keep your inheritance. End this – _thing_ – you've got with that _boy_, and I won't disinherit you. Promise to find a nice, pureblood girl, and I'll let you keep the life you've got now."

All twenty of their dinner guests turned to Remus to see what his response to this would be. Remus made a show of thinking it over. He knew that all he'd have to do was say that the letter was a joke between him and his friends, that it didn't mean anything. He just had to say that he'd end it and never speak to Sirius again, and he'd be back in his father's good graces. But that would mean breaking the heart of the one person who truly loved him, the one person who would do anything to make him happy. Remus knew that he could never betray himself or Sirius like that, so he looked his father directly in the eye and said defiantly, "I'm sorry father, but I can't do that. I love Sirius, and I won't give him up just because you think it's disgusting. Do whatever you want, but I'm not leaving him."

Just as Patrick was raising his wand to curse his son, Tiberius stood up and moved down the table to whisper something Remus couldn't hear in his Uncle's ear. Remus knew that it wasn't anything good when he saw his father smile and nod in agreement. Patrick turned to his son saying, "Well Remus, you should thank your cousin. Although you won't be getting your inheritance, you will be allowed to live in this house. Tiberius has offered to show you what it is to be gay, in the hopes that you will turn over a new leaf and see the error of your ways. You will go to your room and get ready for bed now."

Remus was incredibly confused, not to mention worried. What did his father mean? What could Tiberius want to show him? Whatever it was, Remus knew he didn't want to stay around long enough to find out. He did as he was told and made his way back up to his room, planning to take the opportunity to pack his things and get out of this God-forsaken place.

He had no such luck. While he was in the midst of tossing the last of his clothes into his trunk, the door opened behind him and Tiberius walked into the room. He shook his head mournfully. "Oh cousin, I'd hoped you wouldn't try to leave. I see I was mistaken. Well, I suppose I'll just have to make sure you're punished even more, won't I?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Remus asked as he locked his trunk. He didn't even have to turn around to see that his cousin had his wand raised, and managed to duck just in time to avoid getting hit with a curse. Remus dove behind his bed, firing a hex at his cousin as he fell.

Tiberius also managed to dodge the spell, saying, "I'm saying that you're father has agreed to let me give you some 'special treatment'. Just to see how you like it, if you catch my drift."

Remus did. He went pale with shock as he realized that his own father had agreed to let him be _raped_ by his cousin. "Stay the hell away from me, you fucking son of a bitch!"

Tiberius laughed. "Oh, I don't think so, cousin. You see, I made a promise to my dear uncle, and I don't go back on my word."

As Tiberius made to throw another hex at Remus, the werewolf used his quicker reflexes to tackle his cousin. He managed to land on top of the other boy and took advantage of his position to punch Tiberius as hard as he could right in the face. Remus felt a satisfying 'crunch' and knew that he'd broken his cousin's nose. He managed to force the other boy to drop his wand, and continued hitting him until he lost consciousness. Remus stood quickly, knowing that his family would have heard all the noise they'd undoubtedly made. He didn't have much time.

Remus glanced at his trunk, and knew that he'd have to leave it behind. He grabbed what little money he could find before silently making his way out of his room. Remus paused at the door to glance back at his cousin, wondering if he should tie him up, but decided he didn't have the time. Moving soundlessly towards one of the little-used back entrances of his house, Remus considered his options. He wasn't yet old enough to use magic outside of school, so he couldn't risk trying to apparate anywhere. He also knew that his parents would make sure the Ministry knew he was missing as soon as they realized he was gone, so using the Knight Bus was out, as was using someone's floo. Remus briefly considered muggle transportation, but, assuming that he could even find a taxi, he knew he didn't have any muggle money. He'd have to walk. Unfortunately, it was quite a long walk to London.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sirius yawned widely as he rolled out of his double bed, reaching for his wand to turn on the lights in his bedroom. Having turned seventeen the previous April, he was old enough to use magic out of school. Briefly, he wondered what had woken him up, but then Sirius heard it: there was an owl outside the window near his bed, scratching on the glass to get his attention.

The owl flew in and dropped of its package as soon as he'd cracked open the window. It waited impatiently on his bedside table, its leg stuck out expectantly. "All right, all right, here's your money," Sirius mumbled as he tossed a few sickles into the sack the owl carried. Sirius picked up the newspaper and padded into the kitchen of his small flat, tossing it onto the counter top as he began his daily search for food. After a few moments of rummaging through his cabinets and finding nothing more than a few pieces of bread and about an inch of orange juice, Sirius decided that it was time to go shopping. While using his wand to toast the bread, Sirius absently opened the Daily Prophet, doubting there was anything worth reading.

He froze when he saw the headlines: _Lupin Heir Disappears! _Below this ominous declaration was a photo of Remus, one that had probably been taken at the last Lupin Family Reunion. He looked to be about fourteen in the picture, and was surrounded by people of varying ages who were undoubtedly the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins Sirius knew he hated. Feeling a surge of panic, Sirius gave his full attention to the article, completely forgetting about his toast.

_Late last night, the Aurors were called out to Greensfeld, the home of Patrick and Livianna Lupin to investigate the disappearance of their sixteen year old son, Remus. The Lupins were reportedly hosting a dinner party in honor of their niece, Carla's upcoming wedding. Guests said that the young Lupin and his father had an argument, resulting in Remus leaving the party and going to his room. His cousin, Tiberius, went to find him, but the young boy was gone. His clothes and school trunk were still in their places, leaving investigators to conclude that he did not run away._

_Remus' mother, Livianna, Deputy Head of Magical Law Enforcement, had this to say: "We have no reason to believe that Remus would have left on his own. Our son is a very happy boy; he would never have run away. We just want him home, as soon as possible." Mr. Lupin was not available for comment. _

_When asked if the Ministry suspected a Death Eater attack, one Auror, who wished to remain anonymous stated, "We are doing everything we can to find Master Lupin, and to uncover the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. That the boy may have been captured by Death Eaters is certainly a possibility. He is, after all, the only child of two of the most prominent members of the Ministry, one of whom happens to be my boss. However, there is no sign of violence. Also, the house was full of guests. It seems unlikely the Death Eaters could have captured him without anyone noticing. Nevertheless, as I said, we are investigating every possibility."_

_The Daily Prophet has also received reports that the Ministry has asked Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to aid in the search for the Lupin heir. If anyone has any news about young Mr. Lupin's whereabouts, or would like to help in finding him, they are asked to direct their questions to Dumbledore. Continued on pages 3, 4, and 6._

Sirius stared blankly at the article, a sense of panic springing up inside him. His beloved Remus had disappeared. Sirius knew he had to do something, had to find him. He absently retrieved his toast from its place on the floor, before tossing it in the trash on his way back to his bedroom. He had to get dressed – he was going to the Potter's house, to see if James knew anything about this. If he didn't, Sirius had no idea what he was going to do.

**James **Potter was woken up much earlier than he would have liked by the sound of his mother calling for him. He groaned as he rolled over and got a look at the alarm clock on his bedside table. It was eight o'clock. That may have been a reasonable time for most people, but James liked to sleep late during the summer – unless he had plans with his friends. James rummaged through his dresser drawers for a few moments before pulling out a pair of faded blue jeans and a t-shirt and throwing them on over his boxers. Having finally gotten dressed, James had only just opened the door when he heard his mum calling for him again.

"James!" She called, sounding somewhat distressed. "Get down here now, please! Professor McGonagall's here to speak to you!"

_Professor McGonagall? Why on Earth would she be here? _James wondered. Nevertheless, he knew his mother was waiting for him so as he made his way out into the hall of his second-floor bedroom, he said, "Coming, Mum!"

James heard voices coming from the sitting room when he reached the first floor landing and turned left, heading towards them. Sure enough, when he entered the room, his mother, Caitlyn Potter, was sitting on an armchair near the fireplace talking quietly with Professor McGonagall, who was perched on a sofa near her. Between them, on the coffee table, James could see a copy of that morning's _Daily Prophet_. Both women looked up as he entered the room.

"Morning Mum, Professor McGonagall," he greeted them politely, wondering again what was going on.

"Hello Potter," McGonagall said, nodding curtly at him when he sat down in another chair across from his mum. He still hadn't looked at the newspaper. "I suppose you're wondering what I'm doing here."

"The thought had crossed my mind, Professor," James said, raising an eyebrow at her.

He saw his mum nervously push her long, raven hair out of her heart-shaped face before leaning forward slightly, saying, "James, I really don't know how to tell you this, son, so I'm just going to say it. Remus disappeared last night."

James' eyes widened, and he went pale. "Disappeared?" He choked out. "What do you mean, he disappeared? What's happened?" He asked, looking at the two women searchingly.

"Apparently," McGonagall said, handing him the newspaper, "Mr. Lupin had an argument with his father last night during a dinner party they were hosting. He ran out of the room, and no one has seen him since. That's all we know. I was hoping you might be able to tell us something, as you're one of Lupin's closest friends."

James quickly read through the article, before looking back up at his mum and his professor, concern showing clearly in his eyes. "Shouldn't you be talking to his parents? I don't know anything about it."

"Your father and Professor Dumbledore have already left to do that, dear," Caitlyn said. "When Henry found out it was Remus who was missing, he personally requested to be put on the case. He and Dumbledore are also going to be speaking with the Pettigrews later this afternoon, and if we can get in touch with him, Minerva and I were planning to talk with Sirius."

James nodded mutely. His dad, Henry Potter, was one of the top Aurors at the Ministry. He turned to Professor McGonagall. "What do you want to know?"

McGonagall leaned forward, and when James got a good look at her face, he could clearly see the dark circles under her eyes. She was obviously almost as worried as James was about the safety of one of her favorite students. "We don't know for certain that Remus ran away from home," she said. "But can you think of any reason he have for leaving on his own?"

James raised his eyebrows and said, "He hates his family," as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What do you mean, he hates his family?" McGonagall asked, surprised. As far as she and anyone else knew, the Lupins were a very loving family.

"Exactly that," James said matter-of-factly. "Mr. and Mrs. Lupin may be very popular, but according to Remus, they are also incredibly prejudiced. They're almost as bad as the Blacks and Malfoys with their pure-blood mania. The only difference is that they don't practice the Dark Arts. Remus told us that the only reason they've never disinherited him for being a werewolf is that he's their only child – removing him from the will would mean entailing everything to his cousin, Tiberius."

"So the Lupins aren't as caring as everyone thinks they are," his mother mused. "But do you have any idea why he would have left now?"

James shrugged. "I suppose if the argument he had with his father was vicious enough, he might have decided it was time for him to leave. What was the fight about?"

McGonagall shook her head. "No one who was at the party will say. I was hoping you might have an idea."

"I don't-" James was interrupted when a fire ignited in the fireplace, and someone fell out of it seconds later. The tall, dark haired someone pulled himself to his feet, coughing to clear his throat. "Sirius!" James exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping you might know what happened to Remus," Sirius said, his voice cracking slightly from worry when at his boyfriend's name, before noticing the others in the room. He had the grace to look somewhat embarrassed at his appearance when he saw that he and James weren't alone – Sirius' normally spotless jeans and t-shirt were covered with soot and his hair was a mess.

"I'm sorry, dear," Caitlyn Potter said, shaking her head worriedly before using a cleaning spell on Sirius. "We don't know anything more than what you probably learned from the _Prophet_ – assuming that's how you found out, of course."

"Yeah," Sirius said, slumping down into a chair next to James. "I saw it this morning."

"Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall said, fixing him with a piercing gaze. "Professor Dumbledore and I are heading off the search for Mr. Lupin. Mr. Potter has been telling us a little about why he might have run away – assuming that's what he did. Do you have any idea what Mr. Lupin and his father might have argued about last night?"

Sirius thought for a moment. "I'm not sure," he said slowly. "His entire family hates him, and they are a load of prejudiced gits…I don't know. Maybe- Remus told me in a letter that he and his cousin, Tiberius were going to be sharing a room. Tiberius is the next in line for the family fortune, and according to Remus, he'd do anything to get Remus disinherited. If Tiberius found out something about him that he knew Remus' parents wouldn't like…well, he probably would have told them to get Remus into trouble."

"But what could they have found out?" James asked, puzzled. "What could get Remus so angry that he'd just leave?"

Sirius hesitated before saying anything. He and Remus had both agreed to keep their relationship a secret, even from their friends for the time being. They'd planned to tell James and Peter about them at some point, but neither of them had been ready to come out, even to their best friends when they'd started dating. They wanted to be sure that the others wouldn't shun them first. Sirius sighed. "I can only think of one thing that could get them that angry," he said quietly.

"What? What is it?" James asked, shocked that Sirius knew something he didn't, and that he'd kept it from James.

"You know that Remus' parents are prejudiced, pure-blood maniacs," Sirius said slowly. James, his mum, and Professor McGonagall all nodded. "Well, their prejudice also extends to a lot of other things, including homosexuals. Remus' family is probably the biggest bunch of homophobes I've ever met. And Remus…Remus is gay."

There was a moment of shocked silence before James spluttered, "What? But-why? I mean, why didn't anyone tell me? And how do you know?"

Sirius looked apologetically at James before saying, "I know because Remus and I are a couple. We've been dating for over a year and a half. We'd planned on telling you and Pete when we got back to school – we just weren't ready to come out to anyone else yet. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, James. But I hope you understand."

James sat in his chair for a moment, his eyes wide and staring and his mouth gaping open, before coming to his senses. "Yeah…I understand, I guess. I mean, it's a shock, and it'll take some getting used to, but…It's fine, as long as you guys are happy."

Sirius smiled slightly. "Thanks."

**Remus** was starving. This was to be expected, as he hadn't eaten since he'd left Greensfeld, nearly twelve hours ago. He wondered how his parents had reacted when they found out he was gone. Remus was certain they'd alerted the Ministry immediately, not because they'd decided they wanted him back, but because they didn't want anyone to know that they weren't the wonderful, caring people everyone thought they were. He shivered slightly as the rain that had started sometime the night before began to seep into his clothes. It may have been mid-July, but it was still cold when it rained at night.

He'd managed to find an empty shack just off the road he'd been traveling on, and had taken shelter in that for the night. However, Remus knew he wouldn't be able to stay there for long – he wasn't entirely certain that it was abandoned, as the shack, though old, was in fairly good condition. It was also very clearly a wizard's home – he'd been attacked by a dustbin as soon as he'd gotten the door open. Unfortunately, there hadn't been any food that he could easily carry (there were several sides of raw beef, but nothing else); he'd been forced to leave just as empty-handed as he'd come.

That had been several hours ago, and now Remus was beginning to wonder if he'd ever reach London. He knew there was a small village not far from where he was, but Remus wondered if he dared go there – a number of old wizarding families lived on the outskirts of the town, and he didn't want to risk being recognized. However, as the time went on and the sun continued beating down on him, and Remus became weak from dehydration and hunger, he decided it might be worth it for him to go into the village. He needed food.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

It took Remus much longer than he'd thought it would to reach the village, but he finally an estate that he knew was on the outskirts of the town in the early evening. Thankfully, none of the wizards who lived there were outside – he was still wary of being seen. Ignoring the aching of his feet, and the growling of his stomach Remus continued on his way to the village.

The sun soon began to dip down behind the trees of the forest that surrounded the village, gilding everything in a reddish-orange glow, and Remus knew he ought to hurry. Sleeping in some alley in town would be much safer than spending the night in a huge forest, especially one that he knew was home to many magical creatures. However, Remus paused as he neared the village, listening. He could have sworn that he could hear something – or someone – moving around in the woods. Remus tried to convince himself that it was just some animal, but he was almost certain it wasn't. Even non-magical animals could since that there was something different – something dangerous – about him, and as such, they all tended to stay away from him.

Remus continued on, moving as quietly and quickly as he could. When he continued to hear the snapping of twigs and the distinctive sound of _something_ moving in his direction, Remus knew he was being followed. He told himself again that it was just an animal, something that just wasn't close enough to tell he was a werewolf. Nevertheless, Remus reached inside his robes, searching for his wand. He sighed in relief when he grasped it. But his relief was short-lived. Just as the first buildings of the town came into view in the distance, Remus sensed something moving just behind him, on the road. The werewolf knew then that whatever it was that was following him was either a very large animal, one that wouldn't be afraid of a werewolf, or it wasn't an animal at all.

He took a sniff of the night air as he quickened his pace, hoping to reach the village before he was overcome. The scent that Remus caught told him that he was in very great danger. He wasn't being followed by an animal. He was being followed by a human – or rather, Remus realized as he took another whiff of the warm night air – several humans. He knew they were wizards – he could practically feel their magic coming off the group in waves. Remus also knew that they weren't Aurors. Aurors would have spoken to him, tried to get his attention. That meant that he was more than likely being tracked by Death Eaters, who – fortunately – didn't know he was a werewolf.

If they had known, they would have done a better job of staying hidden. Obviously, his stalkers thought they were still far enough away from him that he wouldn't know he was being followed. Remus wondered vaguely why they hadn't attacked yet, but decided to take it as a blessing and broke into a run. Unfortunately, the Death Eaters saw him take off, and knew he'd heard them. They attacked, sending curse after curse at him as they chased the Lupin Heir. Remus ran fasted, doing his best to dodge their curses, and he even managed to get off a few spells of his own. He knew he'd managed to stun at least one, having heard someone yell in surprise before one of their companions hit the ground.

Finally, Remus managed to reach the village, but was distressed to see that no one was out. All of the houses were dark. Remus kept running, hoping that he would run into someone who could help. He was tempted to try and wake some of the residents, but knew that that would take too much time, and Remus was certain that none of the homes he was passing belonged to wizards. As far as he knew, none of the witches and wizards who lived hear actually lived within the town limits. Remus could hear the pounding of feet along the road behind him, indicating that not only was he still being pursued, but the Death Eaters were also gaining on him. Despite his shortening breath, Remus ran faster.

Henry Potter sighed in frustration, running a hand through his unruly black hair. "Albus, I just don't understand what's going on," he said angrily. "I mean, I know the Lupins, Remus especially. Whatever problems he was having with his family, Remus wouldn't have just run away – not without a cause, at least. But at the same time, what Patrick and Livianna are telling us, it just doesn't make sense."

"I know," Dumbledore said, a worried expression on his face. He and Mr. Potter had just finished interviewing the Lupins and their guests, and were currently checking the extensive grounds for any sign of the boy before leaving. They didn't expect to find anything, of course, but it was better to check everything before moving on. "Clearly, something happened that they do not want anyone to find out about."

"But what could it be?" Henry said angrily. "And why would they try to hide something that could help us find their son? Certainly they know the danger Remus is in, now that the whole community knows he's missing – the Death Eaters are bound to be searching for him."

"No doubt," Dumbledore said, raising his eyebrows slightly. "It is obvious that something is going on, something they don't want us to know about. Unfortunately, both Mr. and Mrs. Lupin are very skilled Occlumens; their thoughts were well hidden."

Henry sighed in resignation as they reached the boundary of the estate. "Well, if there's something going on with Remus' family that Mr. and Mrs. Lupin don't want anyone to know about, Remus might have spoken with his friends. Perhaps we should go on to the Pettigrews'."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement, and they both Apparated to the Pettigrews' home in London.

Sirius was still at the Potters' when Mr. Potter and Professor Dumbledore returned, with Peter in tow. He and James both moved to greet their friend, glad that he'd decided to come. "Oh Henry!" Caitlyn Potter called when she saw her husband. "Did you find anything?"

"No," he said with a sigh, slumping down into the nearest chair. "After we interviewed Peter and his parents, we went around to some of the neighbors' to see if maybe they knew anything, but no such luck."

"Well," Caitlyn said as she began rubbing his shoulders soothingly, "Sirius here thinks he might know why Remus would have left."

Just as Mr. Potter and Professor Dumbledore turned to Sirius, their expressions questioning, the fireplace erupted with green flames. Everyone turned to look, and saw a woman's head floating in the fire, her blonde hair disheveled and her expression tense. "Oh! Mr. Potter, Professor Dumbledore, thank goodness you're there."

"Charlene?" Henry asked, getting up from his seat and approaching the fire. "What is it? What's happened?"

"The Death Eaters. They've attacked Ottery St. Catchpole," She said, her panic evident.

"That's not far from where Remus lives," Sirius said in surprise.

Mr. Potter swore, reaching for his wand and preparing to leave.

"Wait, Mr. Potter, there's more," Charlene said, stopping him in his tracks. "A witness said that it looked like they were out to capture someone, a young boy. The description that was given of the boy matches that of the Lupin boy."

Caitlyn Potter let out a muffled sob, clutching James to her. "Did they get him? Where is he now?" She asked.

But the other woman merely shook her head, saying, "We have no idea."

A/N: Well, I hope everyone likes this one! Sorry it's so short, but I thought that was a good place to stop. Anyway, don't expect anymore updates for a while – I'm leaving Saturday to spend a week in Kentucky. But don't let that keep you from reviewing!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Finally, I've got the long-awaited update. So sorry this has taken two entire months to for me to get around to…oh well. Anyway, now for my responses to the lovely reviewers:

**chaeli.meep. :**I'm so glad you like it.

**SeriousSiriusFan**: I know they're stupid perverts…you don't know the half of it. And as for why the DEs want Remus…that's explained in this chapter.

**lizbennett: **I hate to tell you, but I may not be getting to the part where Remus is safe and everyone is happy for quite a while…

**miranda: **Thank you so much…I'm glad you think they're good.

**Jedi Queen 001: **hehe…I love suspense…

**Icy Sapphire: **You bet the Weasleys are there…

**Dark Angel's Blue Fire: **Thanks so much for the review.

**Faerie Nyx: **As I said before, the DE's (or rather, Voldie's) reasons for wanting our dear Moony are explained in this chapter…and it will be a while before the Potters find our young hero.

**Jedi Master Moose Ass: **A het fic is one about a relationship between a boy and a girl. Think heterosexual.

**Jamie88: **Thanks for reviewing…I'll try to update more often.

**do do dooooocresendo do: **I'm glad you like it. I went to Salyerville, Kentucky for about a week. Or is it Salyersville? I always get it mixed up.

Chapter Four

The first thing Remus was aware of when he came to was a dull ringing in his ears. He shook his head, trying to clear it – that only seemed to make it worse. Remus tried to move around, wanting to get some of the feeling back in his arms, but found that he couldn't. He finally noticed that his arms and legs were tightly bound by ropes – ropes, Remus realized, that were reinforced with some sort of spell. The werewolf could practically smell the magic coming off of them. Remus looked around the room he'd been left in, trying to remember how he'd gotten in this situation, and wondering where he was.

Remus could vaguely recall running through Ottery St. Catchpole, trying in vain to avoid the Death Eaters. He knew he'd been hit with something – probably a stunning spell – before blacking out. Remus looked around the room, and felt a nagging sense of recognition. The room was a large living room, full of extravagant furniture and the mantle over the impressive fireplace was covered in ornate carvings. There were two large bay windows against the rear wall, and between them was a mahogany bookshelf full of antique items. Detailed portraits littered the walls, each of them baring a solemn – and more important – moving visage. Everything about this room bespoke a rich – and therefore old – wizarding family. Remus knew he'd been here before, but couldn't seem to remember when. More than likely, the owners of this house (or, more likely, manor) had hosted a dinner party with his family as guests at some point.

Remus couldn't remember his parents being on especially good terms with any of the families who lived near the village, but knew that didn't mean much. He might not be anywhere near the town anymore. The thought that he had no idea where he was or what the Death Eaters wanted with him was not a comforting one. However, at least one of Remus' questions was answered barely a moment later. He heard the door, located somewhere behind him and two sets of footsteps strode across the hardwood floor towards him. Remus stayed where he was, not bothering to see who his captors were – he'd see their faces soon enough. He was right. Seconds later, the two people came striding into view. One was Lucius Malfoy – the owner of the manor. The other, much to Remus' surprise and dismay, was his cousin, Tiberius.

"Hello, cousin," Tiberius said with a smirk on his face. "Surprised? You shouldn't be – how did you think the Death Eaters found you so quickly?"

"You bastard," Remus spit out, his voice dripping with hatred as he tried to lash out with his feet at his cousin.

"Thank you. Now, I imagine you're probably wondering why you're here," Tiberius said, squatting so that he and Remus were on a level – though he made sure that he was out of the range of Remus' feet.

"The thought had crossed my mind," Remus said sarcastically.

"That," sneered Malfoy, openly eying Remus' prone form. "Should be quite obvious. After all, not only are you the son of two of the Ministry's most prominent employees, one of whom is the deputy head of Magical Law Enforcement, but you are also a werewolf. Or so your cousin was kind enough to inform my lord. And the Dark Lord is very interested in dark creatures…especially ones like you."

Remus paled at the mention of Voldemort, but refused to show his fear. "What do you mean, creatures like me?"

"What I mean is that the Dark Lord has a certain...fondness for young, attractive creatures," Malfoy said, his tone of voice and the look in his eyes leaving no doubt as to what he meant. "He will consider you quite the prize, I am sure."

* * *

When Mr. Potter and Professor Dumbledore arrived in Ottery St. Catchpole, they were shocked. This had obviously been unlike any Death Eater attack they'd ever witnessed. There had been a great deal of damage done to the buildings near the outskirts of the town, and several blast marks could be seen in the ground where curses had gone awry, but that was it. People were screaming, but there didn't seem to be any real damage done. And even more curiously, there were no casualties. None. Nonetheless, ministry officials were swarming throughout the streets, taking testimonies and changing memories.

"I don't understand it," Henry said, shaking his head in bewilderment. "This doesn't even look like a Death Eater attack – no dead bodies, no Dark Mark – not that I'm complaining. But it's strange. They normally leave some sort of sign beyond mere superficial damage to a few buildings."

"It is quite strange, even for Death Eaters," Dumbledore said in agreement. "Perhaps if we find the person who alerted the Ministry, they might help to shade some light on this."

"I hope so, Albus," Henry said with a nod. Rather than search on their own, the two men approached one of the Junior Aurors who'd been called out to fight. "Kingsley! We're looking for the person who contacted the ministry about the attack. Do you know who that was, and where we might find them?"

Kingsley was in the middle of interviewing a muggle woman with light brown hair who claimed she'd been in the post office sending a letter to her sister in London when the robed figures flooded the main street. He turned to his superior, saying, "Yes sir. It was Arthur Weasley's wife, and she's just down the street being questioned by Alastor Moody."

Dumbledore and Mr. Potter nodded and looked around for Moody and Mrs. Weasley. As soon as they spotted a slightly short, plump red-haired woman with two small boys clinging to each of her hands while she talked to a man with a heavily scarred and pitted face, they made their way over to them. "Hello, Alastor, Molly, boys," Dumbledore said pleasantly. The smallest of the two red-haired boys, who looked to be about three, was apparently already shaken up by the attack (as well as Alastor Moody) tried to hide behind his mother at the arrival of the newcomers.

"Dumbledore, Potter," Moody greeted them. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Actually, we wanted a word with Mrs. Weasley," Henry said. "I understand you told the Ministry that it looked as though the Death Eaters were chasing a boy?"

"Yes, that's right," Mrs. Weasley said with a nod. It was obvious that she wanted to help as much as possible, but also that she wanted to get her sons home. "Bill! Stop that," She scolded her oldest son, who was five, and couldn't seem to stop fidgeting and pulling on her arm.

"I saw the child, though I didn't get a good look at him," She said, turning back to the three men. "But the Death Eaters seemed to be focusing their attacks on him."

"You said you thought it was Remus Lupin," Dumbledore stated gently, smiling down at the two boys.

"I can't be sure," Mrs. Weasley said apologetically. "But he certainly seemed to look like him – we saw his pictures all over the paper this morning. Poor thing. His family must be frantic. I know I would be, if it was one of my boys."

"Do you know what happened to him?" Moody asked. "Did they capture him?"

Just as Mrs. Weasley was about to say she didn't know, Bill spoke up. "Yes. I saw them, mummy. They hit him with a spell, and he fell down. Two of them tied him up, and then they picked him up and carried him off."

"Did you see anything else, Bill?" Dumbledore asked. Mrs. Weasley seemed too surprised to say anything.

Bill nodded. "One of their masks fell off, and I saw their face."

All of the adults' eyebrows shot up in surprise. Even Charlie peeked out from behind his mother to stare at Bill. "You did?" Mr. Potter asked. "Can you tell us what he looked like?"

"Sure," Bill said with all the carelessness of a five year old who had no idea about the importance of what he was saying. "I only saw her cuz I was sitting outside the clothes store eating chocolate when they got here. But it wasn't a man – it was a woman I saw. She was really pretty and had dark hair. And I heard one of the others call her Bell-a-tricks," he said, stumbling over the strange word. "Is that her name?"

"Yes, it is," Mr. Potter said darkly, his face pale. He knew that if Bellatrix Lestrange was involved, things weren't looking good for Remus.

A/N: And so ends another chapter. I'd greatly appreciate some feedback. Just no flames.


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